What Is A Christian Nation?
And why would we want
to be a Christian nation?
A “Christian nation” is a nation where Jesus’ actual words are being implemented in the country’s legal system and civic life.
Jesus emphasized that we must treat everyone, including immigrants, the poor, the ill, children, and even criminals in prison, with the same care, respect and dignity we would offer Him.
“… inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to me.”
To emphasize how important this is in His judgment of a nation, in the parable of the sheep and the goats He linked this to our eternal destiny and the eternal destiny of our nation.
“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats”
In 1948, the United States signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (drafted by a UN committee led by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt). This Declaration is consistent with Jesus’ desire for nations to implement care and respect for everyone.
“All human beings are born .... equal in dignity and rights. They.... should act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
When our country signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we were making a promise to the world and to ourselves. For Christians, we were also making a collective promise to Jesus to implement his words.
No country is perfect, or perfectly follows Jesus’ words. But our signing of and efforts to implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights made us more of a “Christian nation.”
Our violation of Jesus’ commands, in the form of mistreatment and infringement on the dignity of those Jesus loves, makes us less of a “Christian nation.”
The Trump Administration has made us less of a Christian nation by violating Jesus’ primary commands to us in the following ways:
By promulgating lies about and bias toward immigrants;
By denying immigrants the right to apply for asylum and the due process that we promised them in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
By deliberately subjecting people to “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment;”
By deliberately subjecting immigrants, including non-criminals with legal status and/or asylum cases in progress, to “arbitrary arrest, detention,or exile;”
By suddenly cutting off, with no analysis or forethought as to the impact, the “special care and assistance” to children through USAID, which for decades has saved the lives and improved the futures of millions of children around the world.
Is it possible that some of the people crying the most loudly for us to be a Christian nation are supporting a president, an administration and policies that have made us less of a Christian nation?
Jesus cautioned us about religious leaders who are not actually practicing or teaching God’s will.
“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing....”
“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me....”
“You will know them by their fruits.”
“Blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
“You .... have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.”
Jesus also commanded us to not judge others.
“Judge not, that you be not judged.... why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”
How can we follow Jesus’ command to not judge such religious leaders, and at the same time resist the evil that they are perpetrating in His name as they support leaders and policies that are in clear contradiction to Jesus’ own words?
“All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.”
“No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”
“Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”
“Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children.... shall enjoy the same social protection.”